We nearly drown ourselves in expectations as we turn the final month of the calendar. Gifts, parties, gathering and lists fill our days, even on the year we said, not this year. The expectation of the season can be full of joy as we focus our hearts on the One who was, is and willContinue reading “Releasing the expectations”
Author Archives: mariel
what really matters
Our days and calendars didn’t take long to fill up with the shift of the seasons, and even more as the holidays approach. Projects, people, and priorities make demands on our time and our minds. I find myself sitting, daydreaming, and longing for “when things settle down” only to rush into the next task byContinue reading “what really matters”
How to find rest in Bible study
Rest doesn’t come naturally to me. Even when I am physically still, I am still emotionally and mentally very active. I easily overthink and over ponder to the point of overwhelming my own self. I default to the belief that rest equals physically doing nothing, and as a mom and wife, that is an impossibility.Continue reading “How to find rest in Bible study”
How to practice grace through communing with God
When my husband and I began dating 25 years ago, we called one another every day. We visited each other’s apartments and we would spend hours talking constantly. We would even run errands together. No one had to tell us to spend time together or talk with each other. The more we talked and spentContinue reading “How to practice grace through communing with God”
Finding a morning rhythm
The house, still under the blanket of morning, fills with the fragrance of coffee and calls me towards my Tending Place (the corner of my home office where the Lord tends my soul by His Word each morning) . The rhythm of my morning sets the pattern for my day and for many years IContinue reading “Finding a morning rhythm”
Finding stillness in the noise
As I sit down with Jesus on the edge of the day, the quietness of the house is deafening. My ears all too expectant of noises and the clutter of sound. It always takes me a moment to gather my thoughts, lay them at His feet and give thanks for His nearness before I unfoldContinue reading “Finding stillness in the noise”
Guide to an Uncluttered Soul
Life is littered with noise and cluttered with expectations. We sift through social media and navigate our way around podcasts, news, Netflix and the like only to feel full of junk food by bedtime. We are left feeling empty, drained and weighed down. I came to the Lord in the cluttered season of young motherhoodContinue reading “Guide to an Uncluttered Soul”
A guide for peace, rest and stability
What is it I might be treasuring? Not what do I hope to be treasuring, but what is actually a treasure to me? Jesus said that where our treasure is, our heart will also be in Matthew 6:21. So what is it that has great value in my heart? Anything my heart treasures becomes theContinue reading “A guide for peace, rest and stability”
When we are yearning for the completion
Starting is great. The beginning of a project or a plan or a vacation or even just the start of a new day, all bring with them hope and excitement. The only thing better than starting is completing. When I close the last page of a book or come to the end of a longContinue reading “When we are yearning for the completion”
Finding my identity
Tell me about yourself, I was recently asked. The titles and ways I identify myself rolled through my mind. I’m a wife, mom, daughter, sister, writer, friend. How we identify ourselves determines how we think and thereby how we respond to others and life circumstances. This gets beneath outward labels and really is the identityContinue reading “Finding my identity”